Glyphosate Use Contributes to Reduction of Global CO2 Emissions

Glyphosate plays an important role in the reduction of global carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from activities linked with agriculture. This key finding was reported in the latest paper authored by Graham Brookes from PG Economics. The full paper is published in the journal GM Crops & Food.

Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide among farmers globally. Its contribution to significant emission savings is associated with the adoption of conservation tillage practices.

The report highlights the following points:

• Global conservation tillage practices (reduced and no-till) result in a net reduction of 138.2 billion kg of CO2e through lower fuel use and increased soil carbon retention.
• If the land currently under conservation tillage were plowed conventionally, it would emit 41.47 billion kg of CO2e. This represents a total savings of 179.67 billion kg of CO2e compared to conventional systems.
• The use of glyphosate specifically enables tillage shifts that result in a net reduction of 41.93 billion kg of CO2e annually.
• When comparing glyphosate-facilitated conservation tillage to traditional plowing, the net reduction in emissions is 54.94 billion kg of CO2e—the equivalent of removing 21.8 million cars from the road annually.

Read more from PG Economics and GM Crops & Food.